2.2 Enhancing Student Learning Through Decolonization

Dr. Riyad Ahmed Shahjahan, Dr. Anne Wagner and Dr. Njoki Nathani Wane on decolonizing pedagogy:

A decolonizing pedagogy provides us with an opportunity to :

• emphasize in our teaching the importance of self, subjectivity and interdependence with others who form our community.
• create a learning environment that begins by nurturing the inner self, the inner connections and allows space for personal development.
• acknowledge and accept that there are multiple ways of knowing and theorizing equity issues, and to use these methods to make an inclusive curriculum and pedagogy.
• allow for alternative epistemological viewpoints to be expressed and legitimized within the classroom.
• promote a sense of compassion, respect, and understanding among all participants.
• acknowledge humility in teaching and learning and accept the uncertainty and discomfort that arises within the classroom.
• promote language and embodiment in anti-oppressive pedagogy.
• recover a sense of curiosity in knowing, teaching, and learning.
• support all aspects of the students lived experiences.

Source: Rekindling the sacred: toward a decolonizing pedagogy in higher education Links to an external site.(p. 70-71)